Yankees vs. Red Sox. Bruins vs. Canadiens. Packers vs. Bears. Duke vs. UNC. Ohio State vs. Michigan. All of these sports rivalries spark intense emotions of anger, disappointment, and even hate. Each of these rivalries have spanned the test of time, and have lasted for decades, and for some, even a century of bad blood. But of all of these, none might be as famous as the Celtics vs.Lakers rivalry. This rivalry has been around since the early days of the NBA. These two teams have combined for 33 championship titles, with each controlling their respective conference more than not over their storied histories. Names like Bird, Russell, Cousy, Havlicek, McHale, Parrish, Pierce and Garnett squared off against the likes of West, Baylor, Chamberlain, Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Kobe and Pau. Now, this rivalry might be back on the map, with the statistical rise of the Boston Celtics and the shiny new toys the Lakers have both bred and bought. Are we witnessing phase four of this storied rivalry?
For me, and most people that I have talked to, this rivalry comes in waves. The first wave being in the 50’s and 60’s, where it seemed as if the Celtics and Lakers met in the Finals every year. And it was close to being the case, as the Celtics played the Lakers six times over a 10 year period from 1959-1969. This was smack in the middle of the 13 year dominance the Celtics had over the NBA, winning 11 of their 17 banners during Bill Russell’s illustrious career. The rivalry was defined as a borderline bullying, as the Lakers tried and tried and tried year after year after year but found themselves shoved in the metaphorical locker of second place, watching Red light up cigars on the bench for what seemed like eternities. As the retirement of Bill Russell ended an era in not only Celtics, but NBA history, the Lakers became the top dog for a while, being one of the premier teams of the very early 70’s until their big players retired.
That ended phase one of the rivalry. As the Lakers and Celtics both enjoyed championships in the 70’s, their success didn’t last nearly as long, and they never crossed paths during that decade. Little did the fine folks of both Boston and Los Angeles know that phase two began before anyone even realized it. In the 1978 and ‘79 season of NCAA basketball, two names dominated headlines across the country: Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Larry would be the Celtics first round pick in 1978, and thanks to a weird rule and the absolute genius of Red Auerbach, Larry agreed to enter the draft that year, not sign a contract right away, and continue his senior season at Indiana State. Johnson would be the number one overall selection just a year later, thanks to another insane NBA robbery. Before these players battled all throughout the 80’s in the Association, they met in the NCAA championship game, where Magic would come out on top. This rivalry was less on bad blood, but more on respect and proving who could outperform the other on a night to night basis. And as soon as Larry stepped on that parquet floor, and as soon as Magic made his way from Flint to Tinseltown, the rivalry was born again.
Throughout that decade, The Celtics would win three NBA Championships, and the Lakers five. They would meet three times, with the Celtics winning in 1984, and the Lakers claiming the title in both 1985 and 1987. With the likes of Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson and Cedric Maxwell aiding Bird against Magic, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Byron Scott, Michael Thompson and A.C. Green, the NBA’s best rivalry was back on. Flash vs Grit. Boston vs. L.A. The rivalry took on more than basketball, as the rivalry took on the face of being more “white vs. black” than team vs. team. It was probably one of the most important times in the rivalry, if not in all of sports. As Larry and Magic both faded into early retirement, so did the Lakers and Celtics teams as a whole. McHale and Worthy couldn’t carry the teams like the aforementioned greats, and both teams slipped into mediocrity, except this time the Celtics had the longer drought.
In the late 90’s through the early 2000’s, the Lakers were the up-and-coming, then THE team of that era. With the signing of young superstar Shaquille O’Neal, and trade that got them an 18 year old Kobe Bryant, the Lakers were ready to dominate the NBA as soon as Michael Jordan was nice enough to give everyone else a chance. As the Lakers won three straight NBA championships to open up the new millenium, the Celtics were looking promising with young stars Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker. Walker didn’t have quite the same overall career impact on the green and white as Pierce did, but at the time, they were the future. While they flirted with deeper playoff runs and even a conference finals appearance in 2001, they would continue to also flirt with the late lottery, the purgatory of the NBA. While The Celtics were experimenting trying to find just the right amount of sugar and spice to make everything nice, the Lakers went from looking like one of the greatest rivalries in sports history, to being split apart after just three banners. Kobe had grown to be the best player in the NBA, and Shaq was the second. Both alphas struggled to play together, and that ultimately led to the big man's trade to Miami. That move sent the Lakers into the same middle ground as the C’s. But not for too much longer.
In the summer of 2007, the Boston Celtics acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen for what now looks like a few nickels and a lollipop stick (Al Jefferson was pretty good for a few years and Jeff Green had an ok career, but nothing else really happened for anyone else). Kevin and Ray immediately made the Celtics title contenders alongside Paul Pierce and young starters Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins. Add that talent to a bench made up of young hustlers Tony Allen and Glen Davis, with veterans James Posey, P.J. Brown, and Sam Cassell, and you have one of the most well made, balanced teams of all-time. With the additions of Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, and Lamar Odom over the years, and the rise of Andrew Bynum, Celtics vs. Lakers phase three was on. Two Finals meetups, 2008 and 2010. Celtics took the first, Lakers took the second. And as soon as the rivalry reignited, it seems the flame was put out just as quick. Injuries, old age, and both teams going full roster blow-up mode ended the fight right in its tracks. But for how long, no one knew.
Are we officially in phase four now? Over the past 10 years, it has been less about Celtics vs. Lakers, but more about the Celtics vs.LeBron James. The former Cavalier star fled to Miami and formed a superteam, mostly because he could not get over the hump of the force that was the Boston Celtics. The Celtics have seen LeBron in the playoffs the last three seasons, and each time LeBron has taken his anger he had for Paul Pierce and unleashed it on Isaiah Thomas and Jayson Tatum. But now we find ourselves in a new phase of the rivalry, one we have seen before, but not quite like this. We have rivalries inside of the rivalry. Brown vs. Ingram and Ball vs. Tatum, with the Lakers players being the second and the Celtics players being the third picks from their respective drafts. Each is trying to prove that they are the better player. Kyrie vs LeBron. Deemed James’ sidekick for the last three years of his five total years in Cleveland, Kyrie won his title and wanted out of the shadow of The King. That eventually resulted in the Kyrie for Isaiah trade almost a year ago. Walton vs. Brad. Not talked about much, but these are two of the bright young minds leading NBA teams right now, and just for dramatic effect, I’ll add them to the sub-rivalry list.
The one thing blocking this rivalry from reaching its true potential is the insane strength of the Western Conference and the unlikely event that these two teams will meet unless the Lakers grab a player on the caliber of Kawhi Leonard or Anthony Davis. It is good for the NBA for it’s two historically superior teams claim their rightful place on top. And for as a young fan, this is the rivalry I have been waiting my entire life for. Let phase four commence.
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